Kafir-corn header



Sept. 25, 1928. 1,685,507

A. G. STEVENSON KAFIR CORN HEADER Filed March 25, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Patented Sept. 25, 1928.

UNITED ST E-s mantras. m me, or own-"awe; -wsu.

' MEIR-CORN HEADER,

Application filed march 25, 1926. Serial no. ,plmaa.

The invention relates to improvements in machinesfor'rapidl cutting theheads from kafir corn and the like, and the present disclosure isdirected more particularly to aportable machine which may be connectedto the rear end of a wagon and may be driven from oncshock of grain toanother, heading the bundles, discharging the heads into the wagon bed,and stacking the butts or stalks.

One of the most important objects of the invention is toprovide amachine of the class set forth which, while being of extreme simplicity,will be highly efficient, easy to operate, and in every-way desirable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a. machine in whichuniqueprovision is made for properly presenting the bundles of corn orthe like to a driven cutter which sevens the heads therefrom, novelprovision being made whereby stalk feeding means on a sta lk supportingtable, can-not swing the stalks around into acute angular relation withthe rotatable cutter, when the heads are obstructed in their movement,by enga ement with said cutter.

lVith the fore'going and minor -obe0ts'fi-n View, the invention residesin the novel subject 'mat'ter hereinafter described and claimed, thedescription being supplemented by the accompanying drawings.

Figure '1 is a side elevation. .Figurefi is-a -top pla nviewf I Figures3 and bare ilongitudinsrl sectional views as indicatedloy lines 8+3 and4'4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse -sect-ion as indicated by line 5-5 ofFigure 1.

in the drawingsabove briefly described, thenumeralfidesignates ahorizontally elongated base frame which is mounted between its ends uponappropriate supporting wheels 7, :said frame having --a hitch '8 at oneend, facilitating connectionfo'f said end with a wagon, that the machinemay trail behind the wagon when a moved from "one shock ,to another, and"is thus in pro or position when each shock is reached to" isdharge-thesevered heads into the wagon body. Anjinclined elevator-i9 is mountedupon the base frame 6 and inclines from the latter to a point above thehitch 8, for elevating the sev ered heads to the body of the wagoriysaidconveyor preferably comprising n trough 10 having a solid bottom,sprocket chains 11 havingislats "12 movable upwardly along said bottom,and upper and lower sets of sprocket wheels 13 a d 1: sa d chains, thepp wheels 13 being mounted in any desired manner whilethe lower wheels14 are secured to a transverse shaft 15 which is driven by means yet tobedescribed; 4'

Extending transversely across the lower e portion of the trough 10, is abanie wall 16, one of whose ends is turned laterally at 17 and securedto one side oi'said trough, while the'other end of said barrier wallter- Ininates in slightly spaced relation with the opposite side ofsaid'trough. Hinged at 1 8 to the lower edge of the wall 16, is a plate19 which prevents any heads from descend: ing under said wall 16, thepivotal mounting of this plate permitting it to rise countered by'theslat-s 1,2, and again allowinggsgfiscent of the plate when the slatshave At the side of the frame 6, remote from the -wal l end 17,-is ahorizontal "table 20 which is rigidly supported frame structure 21, saidtable being in a plane above the portion of the trough 10 in which thebarrier wall 16 is mou'l'ited. At the inner edge of this table, arotatfible cut: ter 22 is mo mt-ed, a portion of this cutter beingpositioned {between the inner end of the barrier wall 16 and the innerof the trough 10,50 that a portion of theicut-ter is exposed above thetable "20 and at the 'side 0*]? the barrier wall lfi, toward the upperend oithe elevator 9, this of the cutter being adapted to sever headsfrom the .corn or the like as the latter is being fed along the table20. The cutter 22 "is carriedby a shaft 23 sriitably'anounted upon theframe at the :mach-inqin the present instance upon the lower end of'thetrough 10. This shaft 28 is drivenby abelt 24 and suitable ulleys from asmall gas engine 25 mount 11 on the base -f?ran1e.:6,and 'by a sprocketc ain 26 and suitable sprockets, said shaft 23 is connected with theshaft 15, for the purpose of driving the elevator chains 11.

A corn guiding plate 27 which extends transversely of the machine,declines ,to the inner or receiving end of the table 20 and at one endoverhangs a portion of the elevatort), this endof the plate '27,provided with an --upstanding guide wall "28. IheplateQ? ismoun'tedupona suitable auxiiiary frame structure 29 carried b the framestructure 21, and it may 'well justa'bly connected withsaid auxiliaryframe structure, so that it may be adjusted to overany desired hang theelevator 9 to a greater orlesser degree; In the present showing, theplate is formed with slots and the bolt 31 passes through these slots,permitting the necessary adjustment and after such adjustment serving totightly clamp the plate 27 in position.

Extending along the intermediate portion of the table 20 is a stalkengaging'feed chain 32 having stalk engaging teeth 33, this chain beingtrained around sprockets 34 and 35 on shafts 36 and 37 which extendtransversely of the frame structure 21, beneath the table 20. The shaft36 is driven by a crossed belt 38 and suitable pulleys, from the shaft23, so that the chain 32 will travel in the reverse direction from thechains 11 of the elevator Near the outer edge of the table 20, I provideanother chain 39 which is trained aroundacsprocket 40 on'the shaft 36and around another sprocket 41 on a shaft 42,

1 the latter shaft being carried by the frame structure 21fand beingspaced from the plate 27 a greater distance than the shaft 37. The chain39 is thus much shorterthan the chain 32, and whereas the latter has oneend of its upper reach disposed substantially at the lower edge of theplate27, the cor responding end of the upper reach of chain 39,is'placed quite a distance from said lower edge of said plate. Thus, asa bundle of corn or the like slides down the plate 27 by gravity, it isengaged first by the chain 32, which presents its heads to the cutter22. The travel of the bundle being thus resisted at one end by thiscutter, thereis a tendency for the other end to swing around upon thetable until the bundle is at an acute angle with respect to the cutter22. To prevent any such occurrence as this however, I provide aresilient retarder 43 to engage v and hold the butt ends of' the stalkstill the heads have been servered from them. By the time the heads havebeen cut off however, the resistance of the retarder 43 has beenovercome and the bundle has progressed sufliciently far to be engaged bythe teeth 44 of the chain:39, so that the two chains 39 and.32 thencarry the'bu'ndle of butts along the table 20 and drop from it from theend of said table, the latter being provided with suitable 45.

g The retarder 43 is. preferably formed by downwardly curving one end ofa resilient arm 46 which extends obliquely of and overlies the table 20,the other end of said arm being suitably anchored. In the presentshowing, this arm is secured at 47 to a fender plate 48 rising from thebase frame 6, in about the same plane with the cutter 22, that is at theinner edge of the table 20.

I By employing the novel construction shown bundle guiding arms trailermachine first at one shock of corn or the like and then at another, thebundles may be quickly and'easily headed, the heads dischargedvinto thebed of the wagon or truck, and the bundles of butts or stalks, droppedupon the ground; When one wagon is fully loaded, it may be disconnectedfrom the machine and driven to the point at which the load is to bedischarged, and if desired, in order to save time, another wagon may atthat time be connected with the machine, so, that the operation of thelatter may proceed.

While excellent results are obtainable from I the general constructiondisclosed, it is to be understood that within the scope of the inventionas claimed, numerous variations may be made. i

I claim: p I

1. Astalk header comprising a table, a driven cutter at one edge ofsaidtable for severing the heads fromistalks fed along said table, arelatively short feed belt extending along the table near its otheredge, a comparatively long feed belt extending along the intermediateportion of said table with its inner end projecting beyond the inner endof the first named belt, astalk guidingplate declining to the inner endof said relatively long belt and spaced from the inner end of theshorter belt, the lower edge of said plate being disposed adjacent saidcutter, and a resiliently mounted retarder adapted to engage the buttends of the stalks to hold the latter against angling upon the table asthey are presented to the cutter, said retarder being mounted slightlyabove and adjacent to the lower end of said plate and the contiguousportion of the table.

2. A heading machine comprising an in-, clined elevator, a horizontalstalk supporting table extending laterally from the lower portion ofsaid elevator, a driven headin cutter at the inner edge of said table,stalk feeding means operatively associated with said table, means fordriving said feeding means in a reverse direction from the travel of theelevator, a stalk guiding plate'declining toward said cutter at thereceiving end of said table, the inner end ,of' said plate overlyingthelower portion of said,- elevator and means whereby said stalkuiding-plate may be adjusted transversely of the latter. a

In testimony whereof I afiixed my signature.

ARTHUR G; STEVENSON.

have hereunto

